Currently, many facsimile installations include both a facsimile and a telephone, both of which are coupled to a common public switched network telephone line. The prior art includes many teachings regarding methods for discriminating between incoming facsimile messages and incoming telephone calls. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,908,851 to Kotani et al. describes a system wherein a facsimile and a telephone are connected to a common telephone line. The facsimile at the called location includes a detector for detecting a facsimile request signal which occurs within a present time of an incoming ring signal. If such a facsimile signal is detected, the facsimile apparatus is connected to the telephone line. Otherwise, the incoming call is put through to the telephone as being other than a facsimile signal.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,489 to Telibasa describes a device for controlling flow of data between a single incoming telephone line and either a facsimile machine or a telephone handset. The device detects an incoming call and, depending upon whether an incoming facsimile signal is detected or not, routes the signal to either the facsimile machine or the telephone, as the case may be.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,153,912 to Sakakibara describes a facsimile system wherein actuation of a Start key to commence a facsimile transmission is unnecessary. More particularly, if the facsimile control function detects that facsimile data is ready for transmission, a switching device disconnects a commonly connected telephone and connects the facsimile to the telephone line, without requiring any operator actuation of the Start key.
Notwithstanding such teachings in the prior art, a problem has been detected which occurs because the facsimile send function and the facsimile receive function are often configured and controlled by a single key on the control panel of the facsimile, i.e., the Start key. The problem surfaces when a user is trying to receive a facsimile call in the manual mode (i.e., the receiving facsimile is not to set up to answer facsimile handshake signals automatically), and a document is positioned in an automatic document feeder coupled to the facsimile. If the user does not remove the document in the automatic document feeder before pressing the Start key to commence a receive action, the local facsimile will respond to the actuation of the Start key by trying to send the document, rather than trying to receive the incoming facsimile. In this condition, both communicating facsimiles send CNG tones and neither is in a listening mode. Accordingly, neither a facsimile reception nor a facsimile transmission is achieved.
Currently, facsimiles that are configured in the manual receive mode employ a logic chain to cause the facsimile to initiate a facsimile send action. More particularly, the send action occurs when:
(1) the downstream telephone is off-hook,
(2) a document is loaded in the automatic document feeder, and
(3) the user presses the Start key.
Accordingly, the facsimile is set up to initiate the facsimile send action of the document that is in the automatic document feeder when the Start key is pressed. However, the user may not have intended that the document to be sent as a facsimile at this time. For instance, the user might intend to copy the document, or the document might be a facsimile that is scheduled to be sent at a later time.
One potential solution to the above-indicated ambiguity is to place the facsimile send and facsimile receive functions on different keys. However, well-established standards for design of facsimiles require the initiation of either function by actuation of a single Start key. As users are accustomed to such single key functionality, the dual key solution is undesirable.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for controlling a facsimile that is configured with a downstream telephone, to respond to an incoming facsimile signal, even when a document is loaded in the facsimile's automatic document feeder.
It is another object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for controlling a facsimile to respond to an incoming facsimile signal when a Start key is depressed and a document is present in the facsimile's automatic document feeder.